


How Do I Say It In Petals?

by JamlessGenius



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Cinnamon Roll Ahn Jaewon | Wyld, Florist Kang Dongho | D.Min, Kang Dongho | D.Min Rolled a 1 On Communication, Kang Dongho: Theatre Major In The Making, Language of Flowers, M/M, Tattoo Artist Ahn Jaewon | Wyld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26883904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamlessGenius/pseuds/JamlessGenius
Summary: Jaewon is a tattoo artist for The Temple Wall, known for his gorgeous flower tattoos. Dongho runs MAYHEM Floristry across the street.Or: the one where Jaewon’s a tattoo artist, Dongho’s a florist, and Jaewon’s getting flowers.
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Everyone, Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Junsu, Ahn Jaewon | Wyld/Kang Dongho | D.Min, Junsu/Lee Taehyuk, Kim Daehyun/Lee Minsoo, Nari/Rose, Seungmin/Jiho
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RowanStar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanStar/gifts).



There’s a street down a ways in Seoul, lined with shops. It’s a populated street, with lots of young adults, night and day.

There’s RK KTV, a KTV place run by two best friends, Rose and Taehyuk. Across the street is MELLO, a hair salon. It’s run by Minyoung, Yoomi, and Koko, three young women in a polyamorous relationship. Their colorist is a man who will be seen in a skirt or makeup and will laugh in the face of anyone who makes fun of him. That’s Jiho. Both places are frequented by many people, including celebrities.

The other shop was frequented just as well. A red brick building with neon lights. Its sign proclaimed the name in bright red: The Temple Wall.

The Temple Wall is run by three friends and it’s the best tattoo shop on its side of Seoul. The parlor has a well-followed Instagram and a lot of very happy customers with intricate and beautiful floral designs.

Most of the time when you open the door, you’ll be greeted by a blonde woman with a lot of studs in her ears. That’s Nari, main piercer and co-owner. She’s the one who runs the Instagram and will take pictures of a tattoo to post no matter where it’s located. You’ll see her or Sungmin, a young man in a hoodie with bright blue hair. He does piercings as well.

If you’re less lucky, you’ll be greeted by a gruff man with black hair and tattoos up his arms and neck. That’s Jun, tattoo artist and piercer. He’s also a co-owner. He can and does roast customers for their body modification choices. 

If you’re very lucky, you’ll be greeted by a beautiful smile from a man with soft blue hair. He has no piercings or tattoos, but that’s Jaewon. He’s their main tattoo artist, and the last co-owner. All the intricate floral tattoos are his specialty, and he could talk for hours about studying flowers to draw them better. 

* * *

Jaewon steps into the alleyway with no hesitation, a bag of cat food in his hand. There’s Boba, Earl Grey, and Cream, waiting for attention. 

There’s also a tall figure, stroking Boba’s head with an open can of cat food by his feet. It’s the same stuff Jaewon normally buys.

“O-oh-“ he gasps out, realizing he may have been staring.

“I’m just standing here like a thug,” the man notes with a huff of an almost-laugh. He looks a little like Jun, to Jaewon. Dark hair and darker eyes, pale skin, a vulpine curve to his eyes. He’s pale with a strong jaw and broad shoulders. And somehow very pretty. 

“Uh-I-“ Jaewon manages, trying not to let his eyes linger on the helix piercing glittering on his ear. It’s a stud, the comedy tragedy masks in some silver metal. An onyx stud is in his lobe below it. It’s an excellently done job, a credit to the piercer. Nari and Sungmin would examine in down with a ruler. Though they do that to any piercing they can because Nari noona insists on improvement. Which ends up in shouting matches with Jun... a lot. 

“Do I look like a thug?” The man prompts, and Jaewon tears his eyes from the studs. 

“Um... maybe?”

He seems to notice how awkward Jaewon is being and tries some attempt at a joke. 

“Come on... only like... forty percent, right?”

“Hmm... maybe?” Jaewon smiles, just a bit. 

“Let me know if my rating goes up,” he smirks, before falling back into a stoic expression and turning to leave. 

“N-name!” Jaewon blurts, making him pause. “What’s your name?”

He turns.

“Dongho, and yours?” Jaewon smiles properly this time, anxiety lessened. The cats seem to like him, after all. 

“I’m Jaewon! It’s nice to meet you!”

“I’ll see you around,” he says, loping off. Jaewon smiles again, to himself. 

* * *

Jaewon sees him again the next day, after the koi appointment. He’s sketching an iris when a low voice catches his attention.

“Are you an artist?”

“Oh- yes! My specialty is flowers,” Jaewon tells him. 

“Huh, I’m a florist, you know,” Dongho says, drawing Jaewon’s eyes to the big bouquet of flowers in his arms. 

“Are you?”

“I’m holding a giant order of pansies,” Dongho deadpans. A thread of anxiousness tells Jaewon that he just offended him. Something else tells him that he can laugh. He chooses laughter.

“Do you know flower languages?”

“If you’re about to ask me how to say “fuck you” in flower-“

“Oh! No!” Jaewon sputters, dropping his pencil.

“Geraniums for stupidity, foxglove for insincerity, meadowsweet for uselessness, yellow carnations for disappointment, and orange lilies for hatred,” Dongho lists, like he’s done it a million times. “My coworkers think it’s the funniest thing to leave out so people ask for them together.”

Jaewon laughs, and a small smile appears on Dongho’s cheek. He tilts his head towards the grey building across the street from the parlor. A metal sign labels it MAYHEM Floristry. The new place Sungmin hyung was always talking about in between rants about Jiho hyung next door.

“Hey, Jaewon?”

There’s something commanding in the curve of his voice that makes Jaewon unable to answer. All he can do is nod. His mouth feels dry. 

“What kind of art?”

He tilted his beard towards The Temple Wall.

“I’m a tattoo artist!”

“Blue hair on a tattoo artist? I see the connection,” Dongho hyung teases.

“So I’ve been told,” Jaewon laughs, covering his mouth. “You’d look good with this color.”

“Oh?”

“You should try it!” Jaewon encourages with a laugh. “Everyone would trail after you like Boba does!”

“Don’t fall in love with me,” Dongho teases.

“I’ll try not to,” Jaewon laughs, feeling something squeeze in his chest. 

And with a nod, he heads into his flower shop. Jaewon watches, a little, picking up his pencil, the sharp lines and slopes as he stands and moves.

He starts drawing.

* * *

There’s a bundle of baby’s breath by the door, a nametag on the bundle says it’s to him. They’re innocent little things, but Jaewon finds himself drawn to them. Wondering who could have sent them. 

He draws them in between appointments, baby’s breath bursting between the roses and lilies and cats and quotes. The marks of purity in between everything else to be said.

Jaewon takes them with him, when he leaves.

And runs into Dongho.

Dongho, who is not the mysterious gift-giver, certainly. 

“Hey,” Dongho hyung greets. Jaewon smiles at him.

“Hi hyung! You’re my hyung, right?”

“I’m 92 line,” Dongho hyung shrugs, the tote with some words in curly English script shifting with his shoulder. A red novel catches his eye.

“Definitely my hyung then! Is that a book?”

“It’s just an American novel,” Dongho hyung dismisses. “I read it the first time when I studied in America.” Ooh, America! Jaewon’s never really left the country. He thinks traveling the world sounds like a lot of fun.

“I’ve always wanted to go! What’s it like?” Dongho hyung blinks in surprise at the sudden interest. Oh, is Jaewon making him uncomfortable?

“It’s just... another country. I guess?”

“Huh,” Jaewon pauses. “Is that cat food?”

“Yeah,” Dongho says, turning towards where the cats sit, mewling. “See you around.”

Dongho hyung heads into the alley as Jaewon heads home. He’s handing the cats pet treats. And Jaewon’s heart is flipping. His skin is warming and cooling in flashes. And he knows exactly what that means. The squeezes in his chest.

He has a crush.

Oh- 

Oh no.


	2. Chapter 2

He comes in a little late, the next day. Jiho hyung is hanging out by the counter, talking to an enamored Sungmin hyung about earrings when Nari spots him.

“Did you get a boyfriend? Who’s been leaving you flowers?” 

Jaewon blinks.

“I- again?”

“Yeah, again,” Jun sighs. 

“You like flowers, don’t you, unnie?” Rose asks from by Taehyukie’s side where he was talking to Jun. 

“I do,” Nari insists boldly. “And if someone wants to court me, I want a whole princess treatment!” Rose elbows Jaewon.

“So if someone wants to ask unnie out, they need to bring flowers, huh?”

“There is a new flower shop,” Taehyuk says from his spot under Jun’s arm. “Chaos? No! Mayhem! Mayhem Floristry!” Jun raised an eyebrow.

“You really want a bunch of flower corpses?”

“I like my cacti, thanks. They’re not dead,” Taehyuk snarks. Jaewon beams at Jun. He’d pointed it out at the nursery by the store they bought supplies at. Jun refuses to buy flowers unless Taehyuk actually asks for them. Which is fine because Taehyuk always throws them out anyway.

“So you did buy him that little cactus?”

“Not that one, it was shaped like a dick,” Jun rolls his eyes. Nari noona snorts, and Rose elbows her.

“Aww but then you’d match my cactus and I’d think of you-ACK!” Taehyuk’s tease got cut off by Jun pinching a dark bruise by his collar. Jaewon chokes.

“Um... nice bruise?” Nari noona turns around from where she was talking to Rose.

“WHAT?! JUN IF YOU’VE BEEN TAINTING THIS CHILD-“

“Jaewon is our child and I will fight you for custody,” Taehyuk counters. 

Jaewon buries his head in his hands.

“Please just tell me what the flowers are,” he tries, changing the subject. 

It’s yellow tulips, this time. Which he knows can symbolize sunshine smiles. He’d like to think that’s what it means. It’s intertwined with phlox, which is unity in the west and peacefulness or softness in Korea. The yellow and pinks make him incredibly happy. He’d once tattooed a line of phlox up a scar while she told him what they meant in their country, and held the client as she cried over how beautiful she looked. He’d never forget a memory that beautiful.

That was why he likes being a tattoo artist, he gets to give people meaningful art that they can hold onto forever. 

* * *

Well... he won’t tattoo Dongho hyung without his consent, and that’s how surprises works, but whoever has been leaving him flowers might just have a point. He stares at the page, unsure what he wants to draw. 

The deep voice, the curve of his eyes when he smiles, is not what he sees. It’s the way he kneels to pet cats who curl around his feet for attention, the way his face softens from the scowl into something kinder, and oh- isn’t he interesting? He’s seen the world, and he was so interesting. 

He didn’t realize the way his pencil was moving, forming limpid eyes and lithe form topped with sleek ears until Boba was staring back at him. 

He was going to leave it, but a voice jolted him.

“Hey! Are you here for flowers?” Jaewon waved his hands in protest, paper flapping with motion.

“Oh... I intend to give a gift to Dongho hyung-“

“Dongho?

“He’s been feeding the cats so I’m...”

“Is this a drawing or a photo,” the blonde one laughs with a sort of awe that makes Jaewon a little shy, peeking at the picture of Boba. 

“You-“ the shorter one gasps- “are such a talented artist! I’m Minsoo! And this is my boyfriend Daehyun!”

“Hello,” the tall blonde guy beams. Minsoo grabs his arm.

“You work at that tattoo place, right? I think your coworker’s given me my tattoo.”

“Really?” Jaewon peeks at the nape of Minsoo’s neck. There’s an eight-bit heart there, in gold. “Oh that’s definitely something Jun would call his handiwork.”

“So you’re here to give hyung a picture? He’ll love it! He’s such a softie!”

“Dongho hyung is pretty cool,” he smiles. He almost misses the off look they exchange.

“Oh that piercer and the chick from the KTV place, are they a thing? The pine between them was a whole ass forest,” Minsoo-ssi asks. Jaewon laughs at that.

“Nope! Nari noona is waiting for a big princessy asking out with roses,” Jaewon laughs. They smile at him.

“Jaewon?”

“Oh! Hyung! Hi!” Jaewon jumps. “I drew this for you,” he says, holding out the drawing of Boba.

“That’s Boba, you’re talented,” Dongho hyung compliments. Jaewon flushes.

“Thanks,” he manages to blurt.

Oh, why is he such a putz with words?

* * *

There were ferns in the bouquet today. Ferns wreathing a red rose. 

“Isn’t that hope for future generations? I’ve read that in a manga once,” Yoomi noona frowns.

“To the Japanese it is, but it’s also youth and sincerity,” Jiho hyung laughs. “My mom is obsessed with flower meanings. Once I started wearing them on my skirts she taught me how to embroider her favorites.”

“Your mom,” Sungmin hyung declares, “is so cool.”

“Roses for a Miss Nari from a Miss Rose?” Minsoo yells from the door, arms full of jewel-red flowers. Nari noona stares at the aforementioned KTV owner.

“Is this you asking me out?

“I didn’t-“ Rose sputters, in this shocked stupor. She breaks into incomprehensible babbling.

“Is this you asking me out,” Nari noona cuts her off. Rose sputters.

“I didn’t order these roses- I’m- I-“

“Do you... um...” Worry etches on Nari noona’s face, like she thinks she’s about to get rejected. Jaewon almost cuts in, but Jun holds him back. 

“I do like you though!” Rose bursts into a shout. Nari noona stares, surprised. Rose is as pink as her hair. 

“Ask me out,” Nari noona commands, signing for the roses. Rose gapes.

“What?”

“Ask. Me. Out.”

“Do you wanna go out with me?”

“Yes!” Nari noona cries, and drags her past the roses, still in Minsoo’s arms. 

“Hey guys!” He greets from behind Jun.

“Hi Jaewon!”

“What are you two doing here?”

“We can explain...well, HE can,” Daehyun laughs. 

“Setting up two dolts,” Minsoo does explain. Dongho rolls his eyes. No one moves for a moment.

“They’re kinda cute hyung, I’ll pick up the bill,” Jaewon smiles, pulling out his wallet and handing over the twenty on the receipt. Dongho hyung’s eyes widen.

“Oh you don’t-“

“I want,” Jaewon insists, dropping the bills in Minsoo’s hand. Dongho gives him a smile.

“Cat food is expensive,” Jiho hyung laughs. Dongho hyung simply shrugs.

Oh, he likes him so much. 

But the way Dongho looks at him. It’s the way Jun does or Nari noona does. Dongho looks at him sometimes like he’s something pure and untouchable. Something to protect. 

Dongho hyung isn’t gonna look at him like that.


	3. Chapter 3

He didn’t realize how many flowers he’d been drawing. Jaewon sat, flipping through his sketchbook. A voice behind him caught his attention.

“Who is this?” Sungmin points to the page Jaewon forgot was in his sketchbook. It’s a picture of Dongho, crouched the way he’d been petting Boba. 

“Dongho hyung?” 

“That’s the guy who feeds the cats with you, right?” Sungmin hyung laughs. “Nothing on Jihoney but-“

“Oh you! You know full well that you’d let him in our bed if I asked,” Jiho hyung laughs, purple painted nails coming up to cover eyes lined with glitter. Sungmin hyung gives him the same dopey look he always does.

“Nothing,” Sungmin hyung stresses.

“Do I have to give this guy the shovel talk,” Jun presses. Jaewon spits out his coffee with a cough.

“What?”

“Like, you annoy me sometimes, but I’d do anything for you,” Jun rolls his eyes. “Including kick his ass if he breaks your heart.”

“Oh- oh no!” Jaewon laughs. “It’s not like that. He thinks I’m like... a baby.”

“You are a baby,” Nari deadpans. “But if someone is courting our baby, he’d better damn treat you right.”

“He- he’s not courting me!”

There’s a small flare of hope that wishes that were it. 

* * *

The days bring him flowers denoting softness and beauty and purity. It’s a love language in itself, gifting messages coded in flowers. Irises and Snowdrops. They’re beautiful, he loves the way the petals feel under fingertips. They’re bright and beautiful. He feels terrible for the way he’s just receiving flowers, but both letters he left where flowers appear disappear. They go unanswered.

He’s flattered, but he doesn’t know what it means. Is he being told a confession in poetry in a language he needs to use the internet to fully comprehend? His knowledge of flower language is the snippets he’s been told by customers and whatever he’s been learning. He once leaves something out. He can’t leave food or money, but he leaves drawing of flowers sometimes, it’s kind of poetry.

He’s picking up a bundle of baby’s breath when a voice chuckles behind him.

“You like flowers, huh.” Jaewon smiles at the newcomer. He flashes a smile like a slice of white sunlight, blinding. 

“Do you know who’s been leaving these for me?”

“Haha, you like them?” The man smiles. The implication fits whoever was sneaky enough to leave anonymous gifts. So this was the suitor who called him pure and beautiful in messages coded with petals. 

“Ah yeah, they were from you?

“Yep! I’m Minseok,” he greets. Be was certainly charming, with that reckless but poised sort of smile, dark hair and darker eyes. A ladykiller, Jaewon could tell. And focused on him. He wanted to be excited but-

But what about Dongho?

“Jaewon! Who is this?!” A cheerful voice breaks any indecision he feels over a crush that clearly didn’t think about him. 

“Ah! Jiho hyung! That’s Minseok!”

“Minseok?” Jiho hyung smiles at him. Jaewon explains easily.

“He’s been leaving the flowers!” Jiho hyung brightens. 

“Oh? So you’re finally asking him out?”

“That’s the plan,” Minseok laughs. He turns to Jaewon with the blinding smile. “Meet me here at seven?”

Something nags at him, but he smiles.

“Sure.”

* * *

He doesn’t even take him to dinner, just tries to take him home. Jaewon is disgusted. All the romantic overtures for this? He’s not even surprised anymore. He knows how people expect him to act. Jaewon doesn’t want it. 

“No,” he says for the fourth time.

“Oh, you don’t want to play,” he purrs in some attempt to be sexy. 

“No.”

Minseok finally drops the seductive attempt, revealing an angry man beneath it.

“All those daisies and for what?”

“I’ve never received any daisies,” his voice is cold as he speaks. Minseok had lied to him. Another lie for the aim to touch him and use him. And he bought into it for just a minute with the idea that someone might actually like him.

Minseok, if he’d come sooner, maybe Jaewon could have fallen for him. Maybe he’d have let him use him. Swallowed the lie about the daises.

Instead, he walks away without another word between them.

* * *

The flowers don’t stop. 

Jiho hyung gets tired of deciphering them alone and brings in the couple from Dongho hyung’s shop, Minsoo and Daehyun. As it turns out, he’s actually Daehyun’s hyung. 

“I don’t know what these are,” he says, holding out a layered flower. He’d received a single one by the door that morning. The others watch, waiting for Minsoo or Daehyun to answer. It’s Daehyun who speaks first.

“That’s a white camilla! That means someone thinks that’s you’re cute! Hey did you buy from our shop?” They all look up at Daehyun’s laughing question.

“What?”

“That’s our wrapping paper,” Minsoo explains with a shrug.

“This is the paper I’ve been getting with all the mystery flowers,” Jaewon prods.

“Oh, well,” Daehyun muses. “It’s custom to MAYHEM. We’ve never done any orders to your shop so it was delivery by the buyer.”

“Oh?” Jun leans forward with a probing stare.

“Yeah- hey Dongho hyung’s handwriting is choppy!”

“Dongho hyung?” Jaewon spins around to face them. 

“Yeah, that’s his handwriting, wonder who was trying to stay so anonymous that they’d ask someone to write the tag but deliver it themselves!” Daehyun laughs. Minsoo shrugs. Jaewon thinks otherwise.

“Ah, thanks,” he says.

“No problem!” Minsoo laughs and turns away.

Jaewon knows exactly what’s been going on as the others laugh about going back to the drawing board. The flowers had been from Dongho. Not an anonymous admirer. 

That traitorous bubble of hope comes back.


	4. Chapter 4

Dongho. 

Dongho had been giving him the flowers.

He turns on his heel and runs. 

“Jaewon? Why the surprise visit?” Dongho looks up from the register after Jaewon bows to the customer he nearly bowled over.

“The flowers,” he manages between gasps for breath.

“Oh.” Dongho looks uncomfortable. 

Jaewon doesn’t normally press when it makes people uncomfortable, but he does now.

“Do you like me?”

“And if I do?”

“That’s not an answer,” he tuts.

“I don’t owe you one,” Dongho hyung replies.

“I know.”

“You’re so innocent, so pure,” Dongho murmurs in lieu of response. There’s something tired in his eyes. Jaewon wonders if that’s really how he’s seen. He’s an adult, with some measure of control over his life. Kindness does not mean virginal snow and virginal snow does not mean kindness. 

“I’m a lot of things, hyung,” he replies. Dongho hyung looks away.

“And if I do like you?”

“You’re going to have to find out.” Jaewon does not look away for that, eyes resolute. 

Dongho turns around and hands him five flowers. An iris, a white chrysanthemum, a columbine, a cyclamen, and a flower he doesn’t recognize. Then he walks off.

Jaewon stares at the flowers, and leaves.

* * *

Jiho hyung, Taehyukie, and Rose were over in The Temple Wall. They all turn to face him as he enters.

“I need your help,” Jaewon says, putting the flowers in the glass carafe that has literally never been used as anything but a vase. 

“Deciphering a message? From your flower boy?” Sungmin hyung hums. Jaewon feels his heart speed. 

“Message?”

“Victorian flower language, iris means they have something to say,” Jiho hyung nods. Nari noona pokes the iris.

“Yeah? Do any of you know what this pink flower is?” They all shrug. Sungmin hyung fiddles with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“Nope, then put it to the side- who gave you this?” Jaewon stares at his feet, feeling a little blind. 

“Um... Dongho hyung is flower guy?”

“No!” Rose gasps. “So what’s this?”

“I asked if he um... liked me?”

“And this was his answer?”

“Yeah,” Jaewon smiles weakly. Taehyuk stares.

“Is that a chrysanthemum?” Nari noona’s face shifts to anger in an instant.

“What a jerk! Crystanamums are for graves!”

“They also mean truth, don’t they?”

“For Victorian flower language,” Taehyuk looks up from the article on his phone.

“Columbine is folly! Kang Dongho is bad news!”

“It says here cyclamen is tenderness! He’s propositioning you!” Nari noona screeches. “Not to our baby! I’ll kill him!”

Jaewon blinks. That doesn’t make sense. Dongho was secretly sensitive and stoic in many ways. He wouldn’t do that kind of thing. Right? 

“It says here that cyclamen is death,” Rose offers with a cringe. “But this one says love.”

A traitorous piece of him second guesses. And what would he do if that’s all this was? If all this was is him saying he’s DTF but nothing more? What then? 

“This one is resignation, which is weird to pair with folly,” Jun snorts. “I’ve done it enough times on customers who live for sharing how dark their choices of ink are.”

Resignation is certainly what Jaewon feels. Because he knows exactly what he’d do. He’d do what he did with Minseok and what he did with Woojin and every other boyfriend who saw him as a body to take. Someone to sleep with and leave alone when morning comes. For all the purity people claim he has, it never makes a person stay. 

“Truth, resignation, folly, and I have a message, and whatever this flower is,” Jiho hyung shakes his head. “I think he’s telling you to lay off.”

And isn’t that just it?

“He did say I was pure, he- he probably really does see me as a kid,” Jaewon realizes. And that’s a million different things but he’s never been seen quite this way. He’s been seen as promiscuous for being a gay tattoo artist with dyed hair. But he’s never been quite rejected for this reason. But he supposes it makes sense. A sickening sort of sense. When was the last time someone asked him out with any intentions beyond sex? Never. It’s never happened. If he doesn’t have that, he has no appeal. He pulls at the dry skin on his lower lip. What was he expecting anyway? Rejection is rejection.

“Oh, Wonnie,” Jiho hyung coos. 

“He- he was just being nice-“ Jaewon laughs wetly. “I’m such a kid- he’s right!”

“Oh, Jaewon, should I throw these flowers out?” Sungmin hyung offers, but Jaewon shakes his head. 

“They were a gift,” Jaewon says. Even if they make him feel a million kinds of nausea. “Leave them in the vase please. I’m just... gonna leave them here.”

* * *

He’s not fine. He really thought he could be, but he’s just not.

Rejection stings like a slap. An echoing pain that bounces across the surface. Jaewon didn’t know what he was expecting.

And maybe he is childish, for the way he’s hiding from him now. Not that it matters. The flowers stop anyway.

He can’t hate Dongho, who was blunt but tried to mince words with him, who avoided leading him on. That’s probably why he gave him the flowers in secret, so Jaewon wouldn’t be so.... so stupid about this.

The flowers sit in the carafe. He doesn’t talk to Dongho.

“Jaewon? Hey!”

“Oh, hello,” he greets. It’s Minsoo and Daehyun.

What are they here for? To soothe the-

“I was thinking about recommending this place but, uh, how discreet are you about celebrities?”

Oh. Reality. Right. The world doesn’t revolve around whatever angst he slumps into. He looks at them and offers.

“We don’t talk about our customers?” 

“Perfect,” Minsoo says with a laugh. His eyes catch the flowers in the carafe. Daehyun snorts.

“What kind of response is this? How convoluted!” 

Jaewon looks away.

* * *

The flowers are already starting to look a little less vibrant. 

“An ambrosia? Oh I love these flowers!” A soft voice surprises him out of a reverie again. He’s been doing that too often these days. He looks at the one they hadn’t recognized.

“Ambrosia?”

“Yes! I actually came to ask for an appointment to get one tattooed!” The guy beams. He’s handsome, certainly, a kindness to his features. And brightly colored hair that Jaewon could appreciate. He picks up the... ambrosia, it was called?

“What is this flower?”

“It’s also called ragweed-“ Nari cuts the client off with a huff but he’s undeterred- “and means required love! Oh what an interesting bouquet! Whoever gave this to you must be waiting for a response to such a heartfelt confession!”

“Confession?” Sungmin leans over the desk, eyes wide. “What do you mean?”

“Victorian flower language! Iris is I have a message, the truth, white carnation, I’m resigned, cyclamen, to give despite it being a folly, columbine-“

“-is that I like you back, ambrosia,” Jaewon breathes. The guy laughs. 

“Yep! Wow, what a mind game!”

“How would I um... reply to that?” Jaewon asks, sitting bolt upright. The man pauses.

“Oh wow! Maybe Canterbury bells? It means I received the message, hmmm and if you were turning them down? Maybe striped carnations?”

“And if I wasn’t?”

“There’s a lot of flowers that mean love,” their client laughs. “I’m Youngjoon, by the way.”

“Right, appointment,” Nari noona sputters, opening the computer with a laugh.

“So... a flower tattoo? With anyone particular?”

“Um... I just heard this was the pace to get flower tattoos... so whoever does those?”

“That’d be Wonnie,” Nari laughs. “He has an availability tomorrow for a long stretch if you want one as early as then?” Jaewon adds in some questions as they look at his schedule.

“Do you want it colored? Realistic or simple?”

“Minimalistic, I think?” Youngjoon holds up his phone to show them a picture. It’s a simple black one on a finger. “I want this one on my collarbone, please.” Jaewon nods, coming back into reality once again.

“I can do that today, I have a stretch of time like... now?”

  
And Jaewon draws the flower of requited love along Youngjoon-ssi’s collarbone.


	5. Chapter 5

“So... Canterbury Bells. I received the message,” Jaewon says, staring at the picture on his phone. “That he likes me back- oh no.”

“What’s wrong?” Sungmin asks. Jaewon frowns at the bouquet that’s starting to dry.

“Am I obvious? Like... really, really obvious?”

“Why,” Jiho hyung says, more demand than question. “Did someone say that to you?”

“No, but I certainly never said that I liked him. I said he’d have to find out!” Jaewon rebuts. And immediately regrets it by the look he gets. 

“Jaewon, babe,” Nari noona gasps with glee. “Did you flirt with him?”

“Uh... maybe?”

“Oh my gosh, babe!” 

“Yes- oh you meant the baby,” Rose laughs by the door, drinks in hand.

“Rosie,” Nari noona whines. “He’s The Wall’s baby first.”

“Hmm... I think I get girlfriend privilege,” she teases. Nari noona laughs.

“I accept that,” she winks. Sungmin hyung snorts. 

“Please flirt elsewhere,” Jun rolls his eyes. “And you Jaewon, just send him flowers. Or you can be more convoluted just to fuck with him.”

“Send him flowers?” Jaewon mutters. His eyes catch his new sketchbook he’d bought online. He’d discovered, to his dismay, that it had five pages. Five! Jun had made a lot of fun of him for that.

He opens the search app on his phone.

* * *

_ A thin yellow flower, wreathed with puffs of purple. _

_ Agrimony and allium. _

_ Thankfulness and patience. _

_ “Thank you for waiting.” _

* * *

_ Soft curling cups in blues and purples.  _

_ Canterbury Bells, like Youngjoon-ssi recommended. _

_ Gratitude. Faith. Letters received. _

_ “I understand your confession, now. Thank you for it.” _

* * *

_Green shining globes with white rivers across their surfaces around towers of slim petaled flowers._

_Purple hyacinths and gooseberry._

_Sorrowful apology. Anticipation._

_“Sorry, it took so long.”_

* * *

_Draping purple feathers and white spadelike petals._

_ Iris and freesia. _

_ Messages. Innocent trust. _

_ “I have something to tell you, too. I’m trusting you with this.” _

* * *

_ Climbing peaks of a brilliant red bloom _

_ A red tulip, sitting in the center of the page.  _

_Believe me. I declare my love for you._

_“I really like you.”_

* * *

“Hey Jaewon!” Minsoo beams as he bursts into the shop. He clutches the thin brown book.

”Is Dongho hyung here?”

“Nah, is that for him?” Daehyun leans over the counter, eyes interested. “A response?”

”You knew,” Jaewon sighs. They’re florists. Of course they’d know some of this stuff. Minsoo and Daehyun share a laugh.

”He was all ‘I’d defile him!’ like you’re not an adult,” Minsoo laughs. “You like him.”

Jaewon flushes pink. 

”Yeah.”

”Leave it with us. We’ll make sure he gets it,” Daehyun says. “Come on, we need the tease material.”

“Um,” Jaewon gapes. Minsoo takes the drawings.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make him respond a little quicker than you did.”

* * *

“Is Jaewon in?” A familiar voice makes Jaewon practically leap out of his skin after his two thirty appointment.  
  
“I’m over here, hyung,” he replies, fidgeting with his fingers. The nail polish is starting to chip. Dongho hyung looks at him.

“Can we talk?”

“Let’s,” Jaewon breathes. He follows Dongho to the alleyway. Boba practically leaps at Jaewon for head scratches. Dongho hyung gives him a long look. 

“This is such a bad idea,” he mutters. “Why did I tell the truth?” A stab of worry punctures Jaewon’s gut with the words. 

“Why? Why is it a bad idea?” He demands. He’s not normally so insistent but he wants this. Dongho looks at him and sees Jaewon and that’s enough. 

“You’re too nice, Jaewon,” Dongho hyung laughs. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

”You’re the only person who has ever cared that much. And I want _you_ , Dongho.”

“So what does this mean for us?” Dongho hyung shifts uneasily. Jaewon gathers his mettle.

“Does it mean I can ask you out?” Jaewon tries. Dongho chuckles and the mood lightens. The nausea becomes butterflies.

“I think that can be arranged. I think, first, I should ask for your number.”

“Oh-“ Jaewon blinks- “I suppose flowers aren’t the easiest form of messaging.”

“They’re really not,” Dongho laughs. “See you at seven? The cafe down the street?” 

Anticipation builds a giddy bubble and Jaewon laughs.

“That’s a lot easier to respond to than a bouquet. And yeah, I’d like that.”


End file.
